BYU Designs Ultralight 1,300 MPG Non-Hybrid

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The student-designed car might not be practical, but it is efficient.

Don’texpect to see these in dealerships anytime soon, but students at Utah’s BrighamYoung University have built a car which can achieve 1,300 mpg, and possibly evenmore than that. The car was built in order to participate in the SAESuper Mileage Competition, a contest for students to build hyper-efficientvehicles. The cars are ran on a track with just 20 grams of fuel in order todetermine their mpg capability.

BYUtook second last year with a 1,135 mpg car. This year, the students have aimedat 2,000 mpg, but expect at least 1,300 mpg. The new car weighs just 99 lbs, agood 22 lbs less than last year’s. There are some improvements in the engineinsulation as well, but the engine itself is quite humble. Thelawnmower-sourced power plant will get the car up to the SAE’s 15 mph cruisingspeed and then shut itself off when it isn't needed. Lightness alone is the keyhere, with nothing else fancy needed for high mpg numbers.